This is the official Blog for Tony Horton, creator of Power 90, Power Half Hour and P90X.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

The Abundance Diet

Missy Costello prepares food for me every week. She is the reason why I'm healthier than ever. She makes it, I eat it. Whole fresh foods prepared right in my kitchen. This gal knows her stuff. This is a piece she wrote for her blog and I'm passing it along to you.

Enjoy the Knowledge!

If you are a living, breathing human being, then chances are you’ve been on a diet once, twice or maybe multiple times in your life. The word diet, as described in Webster’s dictionary means; “fare; what is eaten or drunk habitually”. If you think about it, this means any food that we eat on a daily basis. So, according to Webster, we are on a diet every day of our life, just by eating habitually. Unfortunately in today’s times, the word diet has been described as a way to lose weight. It almost has a negative connotation to it. When most people hear the word diet, they think “lack, or deprivation”, which is usually true. But

Human beings are as different from one another as any snowflake that falls from the sky. There are no two of us alike, anywhere in the world. We all have our own distinct genetic make up, we differ in the way our body burns calories, absorbs nutrients and so on. Most of these diets are based on some sort of deprivation and are very unbalanced. The abundance diet is just the opposite.

If you want to lose excess pounds, maintain a healthy and fit body weight, burn calories, feel good inside and out and keep away disease and illness, then you will need to adapt a whole foods eating lifestyle. Or as I like to call it, the Abundance Diet! A whole food eating lifestyle is a way of eating where you do not deprive yourself. This way of eating allows you to have an abundance of whole foods; veggies, leafy greens, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, lean proteins and healthy fats. You can eat as much as you want, as long as you are eating a whole foods diet, without gaining weight. You will actually even drop weight.

Of course, as with any change in your eating habits, you will want to take baby steps, so that you do not set yourself up for failure. Below are some simple steps you can take to help change your eating habits for lasting results.

1. Adapt the 80/20 Rule: Eat a whole foods healthy diet 80% of the time and allow yourself to splurge the other 20% of the time. This allows the mind to believe that it is not deprived. Sounds pretty abundant to me!

3. Cut out one processed food/drink per week: give up your twinkies, this week, and see how you feel. Cut out your diet soda…just for a week. YOU CAN decide after one week if you want to continue to drink this over processed, chemical ridden beverage or if you want to be committed to your health. (for more on the effects of artificial sweeteners visit http://www.newliving.com/issues/jan_07/articles/sweeteners.html)

4. Add one new whole food per week: if you’ve never had kale before, give it a try. Eat something you’ve never thought of eating. Having trouble knowing how to prepare it? Just email me missy@karmachow.com or go online for tasty recipes at www.wholefoodsmarket.com

5. Have a piece of fruit and a handful of nuts for a snack instead of those greasy, salty chips. The fiber in fruit, and the protein & fat in the nuts will help to keep you feeling full longer and will regulate your blood sugar.

6. Drink plenty of water: forego that afternoon soda and have water instead. . Drinking plenty of water keeps our appetite at bay and our body well hydrated. Sometimes we may mistake thirst for hunger. Drink an 8-oz glass of water and see how you feel after 15 minutes.

7. Cut back on caffeine: if you drink coffee, try cutting back by drinking half decaf with half regular. Or switch to heart healthy green tea! But remember, for every cup of caffeine you drink, you will need to drink extra water to hydrate!

These are just a few ideas for ways you can begin to eat healthy and abundantly. Once you start to make changes and adapt this healthy whole foods lifestyle, your cravings will subside and your body will no longer want the junk food. This will result in a natural weight loss, clearer skin, better digestion, less mood swings and so on. The list of benefits is endless.

Remember, allow yourself that 20% cushion so that you wont’ binge. Reward yourself with a treat after dinner, or an afternoon snack. Also be mindful that the healthier you eat, the healthier you will be, feel & look. We all know that old adage, “you are what you eat”. So adopt this as your new Mantra because it is the biggest truth that has ever been told!!!”

For a complete list of whole foods in the Abundance “Diet’, contact Missy at missy@karmachow.com or visit her web site at www.karmachow.com.

214 comments:

many thanks for the diet tips! I love to read lots about this food stuff and I'm so happy to begun with P90X. Today I did Kenpo X -and- Kenpo Cardio X one after another - whoa! Right after I felt I could snarf a whole apple tree, haha! :) Thanks for these wonderful workouts!

I used to crave bad stuff sometimes (nothing disgusting like Twinkies, tho)until I did Dr. Natura's Toxinout and Colonix. It seemed like overnight the cravings for anything bad went away and now I can't stand the taste of anything with sugar. I was never much of a sugar fiend anyway but, I used to get the once per month yen for Baskin Robbins and that's completely gone. Along with Missy's fantastic recommendations, I think a yearly cleansing is a great idea.

Great, great blog about sensible, reasonable and healthy eating... Nowadays, seems like most of us need some decent advice regarding what and how much to eat. Unfortunately, most Americans get their daily food advice from TV advertising, which really isn't the best, in my opinion.

You were always a big fan of eating "clean," and I believe that Missy really hits the nail on the head when she talks about replacing all that nasty food crap with wholesome natural foods that don't cause those dreaded spikes in blood sugar levels. And it's also true that our cravings for sugar, salt and grease will automatically subside as our systems adapt to whole grains, lean proteins and fats, greens, etc. As far as rewards are concerned--that 10 to 20% of our intake--I've personally discovered that the longer I eat clean, the less reward I desire, and if I desire it, it's still a rather healthy choice anyway.

Oh, Tony, really enjoyed the Super Cardio workout. It hit it all in under 40 mins, and it's really harder and more effective than it seems to be. Yes, I felt a hell of a lot better at the end than when I started! Thanks, buddy!

It's really true - the mindset that you're going to take nutrition and intake head-on and appreciate your food, not deprive yourself - it really helps to do the right thing. Fill your plate, menu and grocery list with things that are good. Don't focus so much on what you'll be missing, replace those things and leave em out and focus on the food that's going to fuel you to higher levels. Good message. I have a great nutritionist who took this approach with me and it works! Enjoy your food and fill yourself with good things and you'll be the better for it!

Tony--just wanted to comment re: your P90X. I've been an avid health nut/exerciser since the age of 14 (yikes... i hit 40 next month), but needed something new to kick me out of my rut. A friend of mine suggested i try your program--and so far, it really kicks ass :) I love it :) Great balance of routines that don't require a ton of equipment, sticks the the basics and really burns calories and muscle. I love it so far. The thing that kills me most--the Yoga! A few of the streches i can barely do--it's as if my body just doesn't want to work for me on em (e.g. the warrior pose to shifting your arm straight forward, then bending down to the floor with one hand down and the other to the sky... lower back, not happy). Suggestions on other dvds/books that might give me some extra work on getting flex enough to actually do your whole P90X Yoga routine?! Again--i love your program (especially how it comes with a smart nutritional plan) and especially your attitude. Your an inspiration to us "old" guys ;) --Glenn Doren

Greetings from SC. Will be attending the Coaches Summit in March. My wife and I are into our last month of the P90X program. This article has some sound point and is actually practical enough for almost everyone. Great stuff. Hope to meet you in Cali.

Hello there. I wanted to add to the yoga. I am what I would consider in good shape and have done yoga in the past but nothing like P90X yoga. I love your workouts 'cause they keep my attention but Yoga I feel like I am getting extremely bored half way in. I am not that flexible and would much rather lift weights then stretch. I understand yoga is important and want to keep at it, but honestly it's my least favorite workout. Any suggestions to really getting those muscles used to it? Or just comes in time?

Also in this post... .I love the 80/20 on food intake. I love chocolate. Dark now more than regular and try and have a small piece when I can. But the less I eat the less I crave. Thanks so much for all the great information. Taylor of yourhappyhearts.com

I have to agree with you all on the yoga! It is tough! I can't stand the first 30 minutes because of the repetition...it's like torture! But, it is a great workout and I don't mind the last 60 minutes at all. My problem...I work out when my littles are napping, so the 100 minute yoga workout is not always easy to fit in! But, I do it anyway, because I'm committed...I'm starting my 3rd week today and I've never felt better!

Great - great advice !I ended up doing a diet like this - the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, when my daughter was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease. This diet cuts out ALL sugar, processed foods,grains, and starches such as potatoes, rice, etc. You can still get your caomplex carbs from legumes and beans. I never felt better !I make pancakes in the am from ground cashews, and eat tons of fruits and veggies. Along with P90X I can do things at 49 that I wouldn't even dream of trying at 20. Thank you Tony, I'm starting a brand new life when most people are winding down.No such thing as "Old"Patricia Lavata'i

I'm a P90X graduate and have a little different experience with diet and nutrition. I don't find that I lose cravings for snack foods when I eat clean. I've greatly expanded both the amount and variety of fruits and vegetables I eat, over the past few months. I've also eliminated artificial sweeteners from my diet. But I still love dark chocolate and certain other foods. The other night, I got a craving and ate most of a box of Puffins cold cereal. I hadn't done that in a couple of years.

One other point: why eliminate coffee? It's practically a miracle food, reduces the incidence of type 2 diabetes, and last week I read in the NY Times that it reduced the risk of senile dementia. Study after study have found that caffeine in general and coffee in particular have health benefits. People can't believe that something widely seen as a vice could be good for you, but after all not everything in the world is set up to screw you over.

Hi Tony! I had bought P90X in May of 2008. I did it for about 60 days faithfully and followed the eating plan to the "T" with little results and the 1+ hours were very hard for me to get in. So like most, I stopped, but that is not the end...

I bought the 10 Minute Trainer in October od 2008 and did it for 86 days when I killed my DVD player. (I guess it was not up to "Pushing Play"). Only lost about 1 pound and not too many inches after doing 3 workouts a day and was admittedly disappointed but that is not the end...

So now it was time to make a decision. Quit altogether or do something else. My husband had been laid off 3 times last year so money has been tight as we have been working hard to catch up on finances, you know how it goes. So, I decided to do P90X again. I re-analyzed the meal plan and made the decision that perhaps my intake was equal to the output and thereby caused my stalemate. So this time around, I reduced the calories and now seeing some results.

You are too right about allowing for some give in the diet. I do treat myself from time to time but do not do it in bulk. Excess in anything can cause problems and naturally is what causes most people to binge and undo any good they have accomplished.

The one thing I would like to to know is that I am not a quitter. Hate the word really. Defeat is not something I take to lightly and it just irritates me to no end. I know you hear this a lot but you seem very real and not shallow and I do appreciate that. I have just completed the 2nd week of Phase 1 and do feel that I am accomplishing something. Would like to meet you one day and who knows, maybe I will. Just know that I will not give up and will perservere in my work to obtain my goals.

I log in my workouts everyday in WOWY and go into the chatrooms under the Ten Minute Trainer. My thread is "OK Better Late than Never". I was told that it was a featured thread a few weeks ago. I believe that by doing these things that I will continue to be motivated. After loosing my father to heart disease, I just can't stand to think of my daughter suffering that loss as I did. So avoidable and yet so deadly. If he had just done half of what I am doing, maybe he would be here today.

I hope you continue your work which can only be perceived as help to so many. Unlike other "informercials" you do your job, it is true. However, you see the bigger picture and not just the $$.

Angel,I enjoyed your comment especially because I think I've been "eating my workouts" too. At this point, I'm completely head over heels with how I feel after I work out, but I haven't been seeing the results I'd like. A little weight lost, a lot less squishy (yeah!), but that's about it. I'm thinking I need to track the nutritional aspect a lot more closely than I have (I do my best to eat clean, but not watching the portions so much). Argh, Italian restaurant with some friends tonight. It's minestrone and salad for me, bay-bee! LOL

My son competed and became a finalist recently winning a thousand dollars The joy and pride I feel for him is inmeasurable.For my son. it was a victory to all those who doubted him. Sadly, my son wont be allowed to continue to follow his dreams as a finalist as he missed a deadline due to not his physical efforts but his inability to read and fully understand instructions. In my son's case visual instruction is why your program has worked for him but the written word requires additional help. Sadly your staff hid behind what I view as a cop out of the lawyers this and the lawyers that. The devastation is hard for me to watch but my son is 19 and I have to step back and watch. My sons whole life has been one challenge after another and he is no stranger to disappointment. I just must say I expected more from an organization that is about overcoming lifes obstacles. Sometimes I think if my son was confined to a wheelchair the world would reach out with more compassion. But when someones issues are invisable to the naked eye, I guess the lawyers will always have the last word. I would proudly sign my name but my son will be upset I felt the need to stand up for him. Afterall, at 19; he is a man.

Hi,This is my first week on P90X and I must admit , I was scared and excited at the same time. The workouts so far are no boring and they make you want to look forward the next day... I am motivating myself and giving myself positive reassurance.. Your workouts make the effort worth it.. Thanks Toni

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True enough, every human being has a unique genetic makeup. The diet we follow can either help us or be bad for us. But on certain degrees, eating fresh food coupled with an active lifestyle like the French has, it will make our bodies more glowing and healthy. In my case, being overweight in the past and reducing a lot of weight due to my current lifestyle, the Bay area body wrap helped me lose more weight and have a supple skin.

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Hi, listen, I'm pretty new on this blogosphere and Internet thing, so I don't know if there's a sort of "subscription" method that I can use in order to receive notifications of your new entries...? Thing is I enjoy reading your blog a lot and I'd like to be up to date with your posts!

Thank You a ton for writing such a wonderful piece of information. Keep sharing such ideas in the future as well. This was actually what I was looking for, and I am glad to came here! Thanks for sharing the such information with us.

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